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J. A. AYURES.

A BOILER FEED APPAR-ATUSFOR ENGINES.`

No. 274.102. l Patented Mar. Z0, 1883.

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JQA. AYRES.

BOILER FEED APPARATUS FOR ENGINES.

No. 274,102. Patented lVIaLZO, 1883.

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J. A. AYRES.`

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i .UNITED STATES PATENT Trice..

JARED`A.` AYRES, OF MYSTIC RIVER, CONNECTICUT, lASSIGrNOlt TO THE K'PNEUMATIC ENGINE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

BOILER-FEED APPARATUS FOR ENGINES.

SPECIFICATONtforming part of Letters late'nt No. 274,102, dated March2D, 1883,

Application tied December 7,1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, JARED A. Armas, of Mystic River, in the county of NewLondon and State of Connecticut., have invented lcertain new and usefulImprovements in Boiler- Feed Apparatus for Engines, of which thefollowing is a specilcation. l

My invention relates primarily to apparatus for furnishing motive powerfor domestic purposes-such, for instance, as the ventilation of rooms orthe driving of `household machinery; and it consists in combining with asuspended i boiler a water-*supply tank or source, a pump for conveyingwater from said source to the 1 5 boiler, and mechanism actuated by therise and fall of said boiler to govern the effective action of saidpump; in combining with a suspended boiler an engine to which itsupplies steam, a water-supply pump driven by said enzo gine,andmechanism actuated by the rise and fall of said boiler to permit orpreventthe flow ofwater thereto through the agency of the pump; incombining with a suspended boiler an engine to which it supplies steam,an aircompressing pump driven continuously there by, an air duct or pipeleading from said pump to a closed water-box, a water-supply pipeleading from thebox to the boiler, a blow-oli' hole in the air-pipe, anda valve operated by 3o the rise and fall of the boiler to close or opensaid blow-off hole; in providing a steam-en gine and a pumping orair-forcing engine to actin connection with` the boiler andwatersupplying `apparatus arranged as indicated,

3 5 the whole constituting a self-regulatin g apparatus for supplyingthe desired power, and in various details and combinations hereinaftermore fully set forth.

The object of my invention being to furnish 4o a cheap and reliablepower for domestic usesas, for instance, driving sewing-machines, op#

erating churns and Washing-machines, ventilating, and similarpurposes-its primary feature is the peculiar arrangement of' asteamengine and air forcing or pumping engine,

whereby air may be compressed and carried through pipes to the variousplaces at which it is desired to apply the wpower and the operation of`the apparatus rendered automatic.

5o The various details hereinafter described are arranged witlra view tothis end, but are susceptible of separate application in some cases.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a top plan view of auapparatus( constructed `in accordance with my improvements; Fig. 2, avertical central section ot'said apparatus, showing the boiler orsteam-gener atorsustainedin accordance with my improved plan above anordinary heating grate or stove;

Fig. 3, a vertical central section at right an- 6o' gles to theforegoing through the apparatus, including the water-supply box and thehotwell, in which the latter is or may be sunk Figs. et and 5, side andfront views, partly in section, ot' a inodilied form of the apparatus.65 n A represents a boiler or steam-generator, which may be of anyWell-known construction, withor Without tlues or tubes, and which isplaced within a cylinder, B,of sheet-iron'or other suitable material.This boiler or gen- 7o erator is suspended bya link, yolre, or stayrod,C, from the short arm ofalever, I). the long arm ot'. which is graduatedand carries a sliding weight, E, which may be adjusted to any point uponthe arm to elevate the holler when the water therein falls below acertain level..

A` stop or support is or may beprovided to receive the lever when in itsdepressed condition. The lever D is mounted upon a horizontal shaft orpivot, F, carried in. standards 8o I or brackets G, secured upon thecap-plate or top of the drum or cylinder, or extending up on oppositesides of said `drum from the ground or base upon which the apparatusstands. When the standards are secured upon the cap- 8 5 plate, as shownin Fig. l, the latter will ot' course remain stationary as the boiler israised and lowered, the link or yoke C in such case passing throughopenings therein, but'when the standards extend from the ground or base,9o as in Fig. 5, the boiler may be suspended from the cap-plate or top,and the latter in turn sus peuded from the short arm of the lever, andarranged to rise and fall therewith, its rise ad. mitting air above thefire and deadening the same.

Upon the cap-plate of the cylinder or drum B is mounted a steam-engine.H, preferably oscillating, as shown. The piston-rod of this enginedrives a shaft, I, provided with a suitroo able balance-Wheel, whichshaft in turn drives an air-pump, J, for compressing air to ai'ord asource of energy for the purposes mentioned, and also a secondary smallair-pump or boiler feed-pump, K, which latter is connected by an airduct or pipe, a., with the top of a water-box, L, standing in a tank orwell, M, orotherwise having access to a body of water. Preferably,however, the tank is used, and the waste or exhaust steam turned intoitbya suitable pipe, b, so that its contents may be kept at acomparatively high temperature.

-From near the bottom of the water-box a pipe, c, leads to the boiler,passing down beneath the water surface therein', and being provided witha flexible connection or telescopic joint to compensate for its rise andfall.

In the bottom of said box also is an ordinary induction-valve, d, bywhich communication is had with the surrounding` body oi' hot water. Inthe air duct or pipe is a small hole, e, a blow-ofi' hole, closed by arubber valve,f,carrietl by a short lever, N, pivoted to the capplate,and crossing the pipe or an offset therefrom immediately above saidhole. At its free end this lever, hereinafter called the valvelever, isprovided with a yoke,g, which loosely encircles the free arm ot' theboiler supporting or sustaining lever. A spring, h, is so applied vas totend constantly to force the valve-lever toward the blow-oit' hole tokeep the latter closed.

When re is made the engine, air-pum p, and boiler feed-pump runcontinuously. So long as the boiler is insutciently supplied with waterthe valve will be depressed, the blow-oft closed, and the pressure ofthe air, supplied through pipe a bythe feed-pump, will force a constantstream fiom the water-box into the boiler. As soon as the latter isproperly filled it sinks slightly, its range of movement being in factvery limited, and raises the free end of its supporting-lever, therebythrowing up the valvelever and opening` the blow-oil' hole. When the airblows O from the pipe and water-box the flow to the boiler ceases, theinductionvalve in the bottom of the box opens, and it refills. As thewater in the boiler evaporates it will again rise, the valve-lever willclose, and the tlow recommence.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4 the small air-pump is dispensed Withand the boiler is furnished with two tubes or pipes. a and b', passingthrough its top and terminating one 55 just below the top and the othernear the bottom thereof, said tubes' communicating in a correspondingmanner with the upper and lower sides ot a water-reservoir, L', andbeing either jointed or ot' such length as to permit them to rise andfall with the boiler without impairin g their connection with thereservoir. The tubes or pipes a b are each provided with a valve, c',connected by a link or rod, d', t0 an arm, e', fast upon the rock-shaftor pivot F, which, in this instance, is keyed tothe lever in such mannerthat as the boiler rises and amaca the weight falls the valves areopened, While bythe falling of the boiler the action is reversed and thevalves are closed. The reser voir L communicates, by means of asupplypipe, f', containing a check-valve, With a water tank or supplylocated at any convenient point. Under this last construction andarrangement it will be seen ifwater be supplied to the boiler in properquantity and heated to produce steam the latter will be, supplied untilthe water in the boiler falls so low asrv to permit the Weight tooverbalance the boiler, whereupon the boiler Will rise, and in doing soWill open the valves c', permitting steam to escape through the pipe ainto the reservoir L. The condensation of the steam Within thereservoir, producing a vacuum therein, will cause water to ascendthrough supply-pipe j" into said reservoir, from which it maysubsequently flow into the boiler. After'the reservoir has been thussupplied the future action of replenishing it wi-th water and of feedingthe boiler becomes entirely automatic and regular, the boiler rising asthe Water-supply therein falls to a certain level and the valves c'being thereby opened, allowingsteam to pass from the top of the boilerto the top ot' the reservoir, and water to pass from the bottom of thereservoir to the bottom of the boiler 95 until the latter receives itsproper supply, when it again falls. closing the valves and allowing thesteam within the reservoir to condense and raise Water through the pipef', thus maintaining at all times a uniform quantity of water in theboiler and avoiding the dangers attending a lack of water therein.

When the cap-plate or top of the drum or cylinder B is fixed and only'the boiler arranged to move, the steam-pipe may be made to telescope orslide one part upon another to compensate t'or the movements of theboiler.

It is desirable that the heat be partially cntoft' or reduced during thesupplying of the boiler, and to this end I establish a connection, bymeans of a rod or chain, g', between the lever by which the boiler iscarried and the damper or draft, in case a stove is used, or theWick-regulator or gas rock or valve, in case a lamp or gas he employedfor heating the boiler, the arrangement being such that as the boilerrises the draft shall be cut oi or the tlame reduced, but that as itdescends they shall be again restored to their former condition. In Fig.1 an ordinary stove is represented and its lower door ordraft-regulator. l', is shown as connected with the lever, Whiie in Fig.4 a lamp-heater is represented, the wick-wheel J of which is connectedwith the lever D and controlled by its movements.

It is also desirable that steam shall not form more rapidly than it isrequired for use, and hencea second regulator for controlling the draftor the llame is provided, depending for its action upon thesteam-pressure in the boiler. In Fig. 2 the arrangement is shown appliedto a damper or draft-regulator,K/, which is independent entirely of thedoor I, and is arranged to move vertically across the air-inlet, beingconnected by a rod or chain to the top plate ofan expansiblechamberorbody,P, into which steam is admitted by a pipe or 4tube from the boiler.The top plate ofthe expansible chamber may be weighted to regulate thedegree oil pressure at which it may rise; or the inlet may be regulatedto control the admission of steam thereto. V

The air compressed by the main air-forcing pump, operated bythe steam-engine, is forced through tubes or pipes to the various rooms or points atwhich it is desired to apply power, and at these points air-engines arelocated and driven by the air thus supplied.

In applying the compressed air to the driving of sewing-machines andother mechanism which it is desirableor necessary to move about theroom, it is preferred to connect with The main supply-pipe bytlexibletubing,which may bejc-.irried in any desired direction.

This apparatus is peculiarly adapted to churning, as there is an entireabsence of heat and odor at the point at which the Work is performed,air instead of steam being used to operate the engine or motor mountedupon or by the side ofthe churn. In view of the readi- -ness with whichmilk and its products take up odors and are ai'ected by heat, theimport, tance of this difference will be at once seen.

The usual steam-gage, safety-valve, and other tttings will or may beemployed.

I do not claim herein, broadly, the employment oi the blow-off tapbetween the continuouslydriven air-forcing pump and the closed water-boxto intermit or insure the supply of water to the boiler; nor do I claimthe combination, with the closed water-box and pumping mechanism, ofthehot-water tankreceiving the exhaust-steam from the engine, such beingthe subject-matter of an application tiled by me on the 15th day ot'June, 1882. Neither do I claim broadly herein the combination with theblow-od' vent of the valve automatically `controlled by the iiuctuationsof water in the boiler, having made this the subject-matter of anotherapplication filed by me on the 21st day of said mounth; but

l. In combination with a suspended boiler, a water-supply tank orsource, a pump for forcing or conveying water from said source to theboiler, and mechanism actuated by the rise and fall of the boiler togovern the eiiective action of the pump; y

2. In combination with a suspended boiler, an engine to which itsupplies steam, a watersupply pump driven by said engine, and mechanismactuated by the rise and fall of the boiler .to permit or prevent thedow of water thereto through the agency of the pump. 1

3. In com biuation with a suspended boiler,A

an engine to which it supplies steam, an aircompressing pump drivencontinuously thereby, anair duct or pipe leading from said pump i to aclosed water-box, a water-supply pipe leading from the box to theboiler, a blow-off hole in the air-pipe, and a valve operated by therise and fall ot' the, boiler to close or open said blow-oi' hole.

4. In combination with a boiler suspended from a weighted lever, anengine to which said boiler supplies steam, an aircompressing pumpdriven continuously by the engine, an air duct or pipe leading from saidpump to a closed water-box, a hot-well iu which said water-box issuspended and from which it is supplied, a supply-pipe leading from thewaterbox to the boiler,`a blow-oli' hole in the alrpipe, and a valvecontrolled by the rise and Vfall ofthe boiler to close or open saidhole.

5. ln combination with a boiler suspended from a weighted lever, anengine to which said boiler supplies steam, an air-compressing pumpdriven continuously by the engine,an air duct or pipe leading from saidpump to a closed water-box, a hot-well in which said water-box issuspended,a valve communicating between the water-box and the well toadmit water from the latter to the former, a supply-pipe leading fromthe box to the boiler, a hlow-oi hole iu the air-pipe, and a valve-leverclosing said blow-od' hole and connected wit-h the boiler-supportinglever, so as to be operated `95, by its movement. i

y 6. An organized apparatus for supplying power for domestic use,consisting of a balanced steam-boiler, a boiler-feed controlled by therise and fall of said boiler,a steam-engine loo arranged to receivesteam from theboiler, and a. pump or air-forcing apparatus connectedwith and operated by the steam-engine to supply power to distant motors.

7. In combination with the suspended boiler, :o5 the oscillatingsteam-engine fed thereby, the main air-forcing pump driven by saidengine, the secondary air-pump or boiler feed-pump, also driven bytheengine, the air-pipe, waterbox, and water-supply pipe, and mechanism,11o substantially such as described, controlled by the rise and fall ot'the boiler to render effective or i-nei'ective the action of thesecondary air-pump. v

8. In combination with asteamboiler adapt-` I r 5 ed to rise and fall inaccordance with the quantity ot' water therein, a heating-chamber havinga cap-plateor top arranged to rise and tall in unison therewith and toadmit or exclude air above the lire, as and for the purpose I zo setforth.

.mann A. `Arens Witnesses:

LEMUEL CLIFT, C. E. TUF'rs.

